1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to magnetic tape recording cartridges and more specifically to magnetic tape cartridges having rotatable tape transport rollers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical tape cartridges include a case with spaced apart sidewalls, at least one tape supporting spool rotatably disposed between the case sidewalls, and multiple tape guiding members, at least one of which may be a roller that is rotatable about a pin mounted in the case. In the type of magnetic tape cartridge commonly referred to in the industry as "8-track cartridge" one rotatable guide roller of the cartridge also serves as a "pinch" roller to support the tape against pressure exerted thereon by a capstan of the record/reproduce player in which the cartridge is inserted and to provide tape transport.
It has been found that if the capstan of the tape player and the pinch roller of the cartridge are not in precise alignment with one another, performance characteristics of the cartridge are degraded. Heretofore known cartridges such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,482,792 and 3,403,868 have included pinch rollers that maintain a fixed, but not necessarily coincident alignment with a record/reproduce player capstan. Accordingly, alignment between tape players and known 8-track cartridges is completely dependent upon how a particular cartridge construction is aligned with a player capstan. Often-times incorrect alignment occurs because of cartridge and player variation.
There is thus a need in the industry for a cartridge that will provide correct alignment between the cartridge pinch roller and the capstan of a tape player despite variations of the interface of the cartridge with the player.